Water-level boiler-gage



C. H. LANK.

` WATER LEVEL BOILER GAGE.' APFuATloN FILED MAR. 1s, 1918.

lll

ith

WATER-LEVEL BClLER-GAGE.

ttpecieation' of Letters Patent. patterning@ Juri@ 2d, digiti.,

applicati@ med irma ie, ieia. serial no. essere.

To ellwwm it may concern.'

lle it known that ll, CLARENCE H. Lann, a citizen of the United Statesof America, re-

siding at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia. and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in"Water-Level Boilei-(iraiges;

and li do hereby declare the following to bev boilers 'for thegeneration of steam, it is not unusual to put the water drum at a heightof twenty feet, more or less, from the floor oi' the boiler room andwhen the water level gages are utilized in which the water level tube isset vertically, the attendant; of the plant, who has to regulate theblow-down( valves from a position approxii'nately vertically below theverticalfwater leveling` gage, is unable to quickly and reliablyascertain the true water level as shown by the gage owing to theverysmall projected vlength of the glass from a point of vision approximating a vertical line as to the water tube.

It is therefore one of the objects of the present invention to improvethe miethod of setting` the water level glass tube iwhereby the area ofthe tube iii the line of vision from a point approximately below thegage will be s o materially increased as to greatly facilitate andrender more accurate the reading of the gage. It is another object ofthe invention to provide improvements in water level gages to`facilitate the reading of theV gage fronra point approximate thevertical plane of the gage. Another object oli the invention is toimprove the construction of water gages so as to enable the readyattachment of the saine to the receiver to so dispose the gage glass ortube as to expedite and render more accurate the'ieading of the gage. I

. l/liththese and other objects in view, as will be rendered manifest tothose versed'in the art, the present invention donsists 'of a method andmeans for facilitating tliejreade ing of Water level gages as set forthmore fully in the following specification with re lation totlie-eriibodiinents of the invention illustrated in theaccompanyingdrawings in whicli--' 1 fi Figure l diagrammatic elevationof a boiler plant equipped with one form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one form of the gage. .i i

Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the fittings ot' the gage showing amodified :torno of vconnecting1 attachment for securing the lit-ting tothe water column or other part of the receiver or drum.

l have shown my invention as practised and applied on an organizationforming a portion of a boiler plant in `which 2 is the boiler drinnwhich may or may not be prtvided with a water column `3, the drinn inthis case being disposed at a considerable height above the boiler roomfloor 4f and in such installations, the water ,blow/down pipes areextended down` as at 5 from the water column and as at 6 from the watergage indicated. at l0, these pipes being pro# vided with valves lldisposed withiny reach of the attendant standing on the door. llVhen theordinary water level gage is utilized, in which the glass tube standsvertically, if the operator assumes a position ap proximately verticallybelow the water gage to operate the valves 11, he can not accuratelyascertain the level of the water in the gages owing to the minimum areaof the 4gage glass presented to his View. To overcome this, inymethodotequipping a boiler o-r, in t'act any other organization in whichit is desirable to constantly indicate the normal water levelfconsistsin arranging the water gage glass l2, Figs. l and 2 at an inclinationfrom the vertical so that a con# siderable area ot the glass 2 isprojected to `the ,view 'This method of arrangement ot the Iparts maybeachieved in various ways.

and any suitable means may be utilized to hold the tube l2 in aninclined position.

ln Fig. 2 or' the drawings, the gage tube 12 is shown as arranged inlower and upper valvular fittings 13 and 14 respectivelywhich consist ofbody portions of diderent lengths lllll'l respectively, yeachbeingprovided with a 4 valve, the stem of which is; indicated at l5,

these passing through gland-nuts 16, thread ed on the outer ends ot thefitting bodies.

*Tin this forni or the `ir'ivention each of the bodies of the fittings13 and 11i are provided with transverse obliquely disposed branches ornipples 17 which `may be externally rio threaded to receive packing nutsit through Y may Awhich are passed the glass tube 12, the difterence inthe lengths of the lower and upper fittings causing' the tube to betilted forwardly at its upper end from the lower fitting1 and thuspresents, from a vertical view beneath, a considerable area of the tube.The mounting' or disniounting of the tube -12 may be facilitated byproviding on the opposite side of Fitting;` 14 from nipple 17 asimilarly inc-lined branch 20 through which the tube i passed, thisbranch being closed by a cap nnt- 21.

Obviously, the fittings 13 and 14 may be connected to the adjacent.part. ot the boiler or other organization in diverse ways, tor in`stance, as shown in Fig. 2 the fittings may be provided with flanges 22through which may be passed bolts or if desired, another torni ot meansmay be utilized as shown in Fig. 3 in which the rear ends of the ittingsare provided with a wrenclrreceiving or iiiolygonal portion 25 beyondwhich extends a threaded portion ZG which may be screwed into the boilerpart.

lt is understood that variations may be resorted to in the construction,design, organization and combination ot the parts within tl e spirit ofmy invention and the amended claims.

The angular inclination of the glass gage tube l2 not only provides Jforthe ready and accurati-i observation of the .level of the water in theboiler, but moreover the angular inclination of the branch or glass tubesocket 1T ot the lower fitting 13 forms an obtuse angle between the axisof the branch 17 and the axis of the fitting 13 at the right hand end ofthc fitting, this obtuse angle materially reducingr the resistance tothe flow of water produced by surging in the boiler and from other well.known causes and decreases very lar,3elyy the tendency of the lowerfitting to be clogged or choked as so commonly happens when the gageglass is set perpendicularly t0 the lower fitting.

Again this invention shows valve stems 15 ot' independent valves in theupper and lower fittings 1lL and 13, and on the stems there may bearranged any suitable. gearing shown in dotted lilies as sprocket wheeland chain for each valve, the chains in practice extondimr down to apoint within convenient reach of the operator so that he may closeeither ot' the valves by its stem 15 indepcndu ent. oit the other torender it possible to Separatei i test-the fittings 12% and l-i, so thatwhen one of the valves is' closed the pressure in the boiler will blowdown through the oben fitti and 'into the blow--rlown tube (3 making'that both ot the fittings are treclf.' open irk proper test. This is of2in'ipertanfe, bei en thc fittings are located high abc'. ation theoperator,

and, aS ordinarily are both connected at their valves by a unitaryoperating device, then when the operator opens the blouudown valve inthe pipe (i he is uninfornnd as to which ot' the fittings 13 or 1i, mayhe open or closed,

because they are not separately tested.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. The combination with a boiler ot the type having its normal waterlevel overhead. or above the floor ot the boiler, of upper and lowergage fittings each with a cnt-off' valve independently operable from theother so that either ot' the fittings can be separately blown to test,and each having' an obliquo. gage tube branch, and a tube therein.whereby when the whole is applied to a boiler with the fittingsrespectively7 above and below the boiler level, the level line isplainly visible from substantially any point in front of the boiler.

Q. A water level gage comprising upper and lower fittings to berespectively attached toa receiver above and below the normal waterlevel, the lower fitting havingn a tube socket at an obtuse angle forthe blow-down of water from the tube so that the choking;` tendency otthe lower fittingr is reduced, and the upper fitting having a tubesocket :dining with the lower socket, and a gage tube held in saidsockets in an inclined position when the gage is applied to the boiler.

3. A water level gage comprisingA upper and lower fittings to berespectively attached to a receiver above and below the normal waterlevel,I the lower fitting having;` a tube Socket at an obtuse angle forthe blow-down of water from the tube so that the chokin,"r tendency oftln` lower fitting is reduced` and the upper tittinp` havingv a tubesocket :dining with the lower socket, a gage lube. lneld in said socketsin an inclined position when the faire is applied to thcl boiler, ablow-down pipe attached to the lower fitting. and separate valves forblowing oll` each filtint inde pendent ot' the other through theblow-down pipe.

4. A water level gage for boilers, comprising an upperfitting adaptedfor allarbnnnt to the boiler, said fitting' having` a valv(` andprovided at opposite sides with oblique branches axially alincd; and alower littingij adapted for coiiccfion to the boiler construction andhaving a valve and oblique. branch alining'witb the branches olf thenppcr fitting when the fittings are applied to the boiler, a renu'ivablcgage tubo. .inscrlible into the alined ln'ancbes therefor on tbc lil'-tings, means for packing` thc tube at,l ils ends on the fittings, and aclosure Vfor they upper branch ot' the top fitting.

ln testimony whcrcot' l affix my signature.

CLARENCE l l. IA N lil.

